The present invention relates to promoting and stimulating tissue growth. The invention may have particularly useful application in the stimulation of bone growth as it relates to artificial implants and, in particular, total joint replacement surgeries including the implantation of hip, knee, spine, shoulder, ankle, and wrist prostheses. The invention may be utilized to help facilitate incorporation of the implant into the body.
Within the field of surgery, bone growth stimulators are often used to promote bone growth by subjecting the bone to an electric field to create a negative charge in the area where bone growth is sought. It has been shown that changing the strength of the electric field and resulting negative charge over time can further stimulate bone growth. Bone growth stimulators are often used in the treatment of nonunions and bone graft surgeries. However, bone growth is very important to the incorporation of various types of implants as well. For example, in a successful total hip replacement surgery the acetabular cup of the implant is fused with the bone of the acetabulum. Often only 20-40 percent of the connection between the acetabular cup and the acetabulum is fused bone; the rest, 60-80 percent, is a fibrous membrane. Increasing the amount of bone fusion between the implant and the bone leads to better incorporation of the implant and decreases chances of implant loosing and the potential need for revision surgery.
Therefore, there remains a need for improved instruments and methods of promoting tissue growth as related to artificial implants and, in particular, total joint implants.